Why Duke’s Gerald Henderson Should Not Go Pro

I’m proud to say I’m a fan of Duke basketball. It started when Christian Laettner hit the last shot in the best game in college basketball history. I like seeing Duke succeed, and I like seeing Duke players do well in the NBA (which is not always the case). So, with both of those motivations in mind, Gerald Henderson should stay at Duke for his senior year. As usual, a list will help us figure out why.

1. His NBA Stock

Henderson has NBA athleticism. The man can hop like few people I’ve seen at his height. This year it was fun to see some of his skills develop, specifically his jump shot. Also, he developed an ability to take games over this year, largely in part to not needing to depend on his penetration. Staying another year will allow him to improve those parts of his game and raise his stock as a draft pick.

2. Duke Would be Awesome

The Blue Devils will be in good shape next year with scoreres Kyle Singler, Jon Scheyer, Nolan Smith, Lance Thomas, Elliott Williams, and two big incoming freshmen in Ryan Kelly (who is 6’10” and won the McDonalds 3-Point Contest) and Mason Plumlee. If Henderson stays, Duke could run away from the rest of the ACC. They are only losing Greg Paulus and David McClure, which is okay by me. The only thing that could keep them from winning the ACC is if Wake’s big 3 decide to come back.

3. National Championship

If Henderson decides to listen to my advice and come back to Duke, they could win a national championship. It has been a few years since Duke has been to the Final Four, and I hope Henderson took notice of what happened at UNC this year. A bunch of upper-classmen came back to win and, indeed, they did.

If you’re reading this Mr. Henderson, I advise you to come back to Duke for one last hoorah.